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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

TREKS OF A LIFETIME / TAKTSANG LHAKHANG

The Tiger's Nest Temple

Taktsang Lhakhang is the kingdom of Bhutan’s most iconic landmark and
religious site. The name Taktsang translates to “The Tiger’s Nest”. This temple
is one of the most holy sites in the kingdom and clings impossibly to a sheer
cliff face 900 hundred meters above the Paro Valley.

It was first built in 1692
at a cave where Guru Rimpoche meditated in the 7th century A.D. Legend states
that Guru Rimpoche flew to the site atop the back of a tigress and meditated in
the cave for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days and 3 hours in order to subdue evil
demons residing within it. The cave has been considered a sacred site ever
since and many famous saints have travelled to meditate in it.

Photo: Leslie Cruse, PillartoPost.org travel editor

Taktsang Lhakhang is
located approximately 10 km north of Paro town at an altitude of 3.120 meters.
In order to arrive at the temple visitors must trek for around 2-3 hours
through beautiful, shady pine forests. No trip to Bhutan would be complete
without a visit to this remarkable heritage site.